The strongest earthquake in ever history of Tuva has damaged dozens of buildings in Kyzyl, but no injuries or deaths have been reported.

The epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake was about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Kyzyl, capital of the Russian republic of Tuva, which borders Mongolia, in the place Bai-Sut of the Kaa-Khem district.

Nature park of regional significance "Shuiskiy" was established on the territory of two districts of Tuva, which have been recognized as some of the ecologically cleanest places on Earth. Today, the decision was made by the government of the republic. The park was created under the statute of specially protected natural territory on an ecological-economic basis presented by Tuvan institute of complex research of natural resources (TIKOPR) .

Tuvan hunters have destroyed a record number of wolves this year; the number of predators shot consisted of 669 individuals, which is one and half times more than in 2010, as reported by government of the republic.

The authorities in Tuva noted, that the discontinuance of systematic struggle with the predators in the early 1990's caused a fast increase in the numbers of wolves in Tuva, whose population to date has reached 2.5 - 3 thousand individuals (380-400 packs).

Experts from WWF, after the discovery of total numbers of red Book snow leopards who live on the territory of pastures of south-west Tuva, are turning to members of Russian business community with a plea to "adopt" the irbis.

Voluntary contributions by the "adoptive parents" will help to compensate herders for losses of livestock to attacks of the predator, to discourage the herders from killing the animals, as RIA Novosti was told by the press-secretary of Altai-Sayan project of WWF in Russia, Tatiana Ivanitskaya.

Russia’s ruling United Russia party managed to cling on to its majority in the lower house in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, despite failing to get a majority of votes in an election that was marred by accusations of vote rigging and intimidation by opposition parties.

With 96 per cent of ballots counted on Monday, United Russia, the party of prime minister Vladimir Putin, had 49.54 per cent of the vote, down from 64.3 per cent in 2007, which would give the party 238 seats in the 450-seat parliament, down from 315.

Moscow publishing house "MOBY Publishing" released a book by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of TuvGU, Nikolai Abayev 'Influence of Tengrianism on ecologic culture and ethnogenesis of Turko-Mongol people of Altai-Baikal region".

The book is meant for all who are interested in the history of culture and religion of Turko-Mongol people of Central Asia and Sayan-Altai.

Imagine being over 5,000 miles away from your home and meeting and living with a family you do not know for a year.That is just what Russian exchange student Mariya “Masha” Madyrova, 17, is doing here in Brewton.“Masha is a unique name,” she said. “Usually in Russia we have official names and short names. Masha is short name off of Mariya.”